Did you know three Breakout/Arkanoid clones were made for Super Famicom? Let's check 'em out

BLOCK KUZUSHI

Written: 12.15.06Acquired: 9.2.06Status: Cart onlyPrice: $6.31

Publisher: Planning Office WADA

Released: 11.17.95

Developer: OeRSTED

Scarcity: 3

"GOOOOO VOLTRON!"

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Arkanoid and Breakout should be blushing then

When hit, the gray buggers set off a sweet chain reaction

Block Kuzushi has a funky storyline, multiple paths to select from and all the typical power up's and down's you'd expect from this type of game. Reverse controls, longer thingie [Just great -Ed.], projectile shot which can easily mow down blocks, etc. There are even boss characters; the first of which appearing on stage 11

Did that read DULL?

A two player mode with 3 different stages is thrown in for good measure

This one is my favorite of the three

I liked BK initially, but it got "meh" after a while. It's alright, I suppose. It's not expensive or terribly hard to find, and if you like your Breakout games with a touch of anime-esque flavor,this might suit you just fine

SUPAPOON

Written: 12.15.06Acquired: 9.2.06Status: CIBPrice: $15.32

Publisher: Yutaka

Released: 10.6.95

Developer: Now Production

Scarcity: 2.5

Block Kuzushi isn't the only Arkanoid clone in town!

Big jewels flash when hit

[... naaaw... -Ed.]

It's pretty bare though, what you see is what you get in this 1-player game. There are 6 worlds to go through, with 6 stages per I believe. A total of 36, presumably

It's almost sugary-sweet

Your goal is to eliminate all the yellow faces. There are some neat little features...

Like this flagitious skull f'rinstance

The "line protector" powerup is really cool. In other games if the ball touches the line once, it fades away. Here, the line comprises of many individual blocks that when hit, only one block disappears, rather than the whole thing

You have to admit, that's pretty nice...

Another awesome powerup: the almighty 1-hit-kills-all blazing ball

Like a knife going through hot butter!

Decent Arkanoid clone. I like it over Block Kuzushi

SUPAPOON DX

Written: 12.15.06Acquired: 9.2.06Status: Cart onlyPrice: $9

Publisher: Yutaka

Released: 5.31.96

Developer: Now Production

Scarcity: 3.5

The sequel / upgrade. It's very similar to the original, except there are a couple new features...a password system...

And a 2-player mode

CLOSING THOUGHTS

DX is more of the same, really. I actually kind of preferred the original over DX... all in all,these 3 games are OK in their own right, but of course cannot hold the jock strap of thetwo "grand daddies" so to speak. If you're a huge fan of this type of game, the good newsis, Block Kuzushi and Supapoon (DX) aren't overly difficult to find, as well as being fairlycheap

And.... well, there really isn't much else to say. Easy to see why these games never got picked up for the US market. Small, playable, but ultimately forgettable, niche titles

By the way, a Block Kuzushi was released on Game Boy in 1995, a Block Kuzushi 2 on PS1in 2000 and another BK game on the Nintendo DS in 2005. Interesting...